Attorney General for England and Wales information
Law officer of the Monarch of England and Wales
United Kingdom Attorney General for England and Wales
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
Incumbent Victoria Prentis since 25 October 2022 (2022-10-25)
Attorney General's Office
Style
Attorney General (informal) The Right Honourable (within the UK and Commonwealth)
Member of
Cabinet (attending)
Privy Council
National Security Council
Reports to
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Secretary of State for Justice
Nominator
Prime Minister
Appointer
The Monarch (on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term length
At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation
1277
First holder
William de Boneville
Deputy
Solicitor General for England and Wales
Salary
£178,594 per annum (2022)[1] (including £84,144 MP salary)[2]
Website
www.gov.uk
This article is part of the series: Courts of England and Wales
Law of England and Wales
Administration
Ministry of Justice
Lord Chancellor
His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service
Judges' Council
Civil and family courts
Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
Privy Council
Court of Appeal
Master of the Rolls
Court of Appeal judge
High Court of Justice
President of the King's Bench
President of the Family Division
Chancellor of the High Court
High Court judge
County Court
List of County Court venues
County Court Business Centre
District judge
Family Court
Court of Protection
Court of Chivalry
Criminal courts
Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
Court of Appeal
Lord Chief Justice
Court of Appeal judge
High Court of Justice
President of the King's Bench
High Court judge
Crown Court
List of Crown Court venues
Circuit judge
Recorder
Magistrates' courts
District judge
Justice of the peace / lay magistrates
Criminal prosecution
Attorney General
Director of Public Prosecutions
Crown Prosecution Service
Legal profession
Bar Council
Barrister
Law Society of England and Wales
Solicitor
Solicitor advocate
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His Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales is the chief legal adviser to the sovereign and Government in affairs pertaining to England and Wales as well as the highest ranking amongst the law officers of the Crown.[3][4] The attorney general is the leader of the Attorney General's Office and currently attends (but is not a member of) the Cabinet.[5] Unlike in other countries employing the common law legal system, the attorney general does not govern the administration of justice; that function is carried out by the secretary of state for justice and lord chancellor. The incumbent is also concurrently advocate general for Northern Ireland.[6]
The position of attorney general has existed since at least 1243, when records show a professional attorney was hired to represent the King's interests in court. The position first took on a political role in 1461 when the holder of the office was summoned to the House of Lords to advise the Government there on legal matters. In 1673, the attorney general officially became the Crown's adviser and representative in legal matters, although still specialising in litigation rather than advice. The beginning of the 20th century saw a shift away from litigation and more towards legal advice. Today, prosecutions are carried out by the Crown Prosecution Service and most legal advice to government departments is provided by the Government Legal Department, both under the supervision of the attorney general.
Additional duties include superintending the Serious Fraud Office, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Service Prosecuting Authority, and other government lawyers with the authority to prosecute cases. The attorney general advises the government, individual government departments, and individual government ministers on legal matters, answering questions in Parliament and bringing "unduly lenient" sentences and points of law to the Court of Appeal of England and Wales. As per the Law Officers Act 1997, duties can be delegated to the Solicitor General, and any actions are treated as if they came from the attorney general.
The corresponding shadow minister is the Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales, and the work of the attorney general is also scrutinised by the Justice Select Committee.[7]
^"Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
^"Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
^"Attorney General's Office". GOV.UK. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
^Cite error: The named reference jones47 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Ministers". GOV.UK. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
^McCormick, Conor; Cowie, Graeme (28 May 2020). "The Law Officers: a Constitutional and Functional Overview". House of Commons Library. p. 3. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
^"Work of the Attorney General evidence session". parliament.uk. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2021. The Justice Select Committee holds a one-off session on the work of the Attorney General on Tuesday 15 September.
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